Fence-wire stretcher



FRANZEN. FENCE WIRE STRETCHEB- APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1921.

Patented Nov. 7, 192K 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1..

J. FRANZEN'. FENCE WIRE STRETCHER} APPLICATION FILED APR- 29, 1921.

Patented Nov. 7, 192?.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

dire era htddddh JACOB FRANZEN, OF WEST MCHENBY, ILLINOIS.

FENCE-WIRE STRETCHER.

Application filed April 29, 1921. Serial No. 465,355.

To all 207mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB FRANZEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at West McHenry, in the county of McHen'ry and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Fenceire Stretcher, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will "enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and eficient means for use in fence making and particularly in the stretching of the line wires, whether barbed or otherwise, under conditions assuring a proper tightness or tension of the runners, and more especially to provide a device for the purpose indicated which may be readily adjusted to suit the height of the wire so that the stretcher head may be arranged directly in the line of strain and whereby the apparatus may be moved from station to station as required in the progressive stretching of the wires without loss of time or special effort upon the part of the operator; and with these objects in view the invention consists in a construction, combination and relation of parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front View of the apparatus applied in the operative position in stretch ing fence wires and indicatingthe manner in which the structure is preferably anchored during the stretchingoperation.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the extensible standard with its parts in an extended relation.

Figure 3 is a detail view enlarged of the lower portion of the apparatus showing the arrangement of the parts in lifting the apparatus to withdraw the braces out of the ground.

The device consists essentially of an extensible shaft or upright having telescoping members comprising the base member 10, one or more intermediate members 11 and an upper or terminal member 12 which carries the stretcher head 13 provided with a drum or roll 14: for the reel of wire inclicated at 15, said drum or roll being provided with the cross head 16, ratchet mechanism 17 for preventing backward rotation and maintaining a tension which has been secured in the line wire. This ratchet mechanism in the construction illustrated consists of a ratchet wheel 18 and a suitable pawl or dog 19 arranged at one end of the shaft constituting the drum or roll la, and at the other end thereof is arranged a power multi plying gearing 20 having a hand crank 21 by means of which the desired rotary motion may be communicated thereto.

The base section serves as a housing for an operating gear 22 meshing with a rack 23 on the intermediate section 11, preferably a gulde gear 24 being also arranged in the basesection to serve as a means of steadying the intermediate section, and housed in the intermediate section which also is hollow is an operating gear 25 meshing with a rack 26 on the upper member or section of the standard, suit-able ratchets 27 and 28 being provided to maintain the gears and therefore the sections operated thereby in adjusted positions, and a crank 29 being interchangeably engageable with said gears for effecting the required adjustment of the standard members or sections.

Extending from and pivotally mounted as at 30 upon a platform 31. at the upper end of the base member 10 are the downwardly divergent brace legs 32 adapted to be forced at their lower, preferably tapered, extremities into the ground to serve as a stabilizing means for the structure, the extent of insertion being limited by suitable cross heads 33, and in addition thereto, particularly if the braces cannot readily be forced into the ground, a supplemental anchoring means may be provided in the form of a guy rope 34: for engagement with a post 35 in advance of the machine.

By means of the independent adjustability of the several members or sections of the standard or upright it will be obvious that the stretcher head may be arranged successively at different elevations to suit the spacing of the several line or runner wires in the respective running thereof, and when it is desired to move the apparatus, in order to facilitate the withdrawing of the lower ends of the braces from the ground, a base block 86 may be inserted under the base member of the standard, which is provided at its lower end with an opening 37 in alignment with the lower end of the intermediate member or section 11, and said intermediate section may then be reversely actuated to cause downward pressure of its lower end upon the block (or the surface of the ground if suiiiciently hard) to lift or act as a jack for the base member.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim is l. A device for the purpose described having an extensible standard or upright com prising telescoping base intermediate and upper members or sections '01 which the latter carries a stretcher head provided with means for applying tension to a line 'i'vire, means for extending the intermediate and upper members relative respectively to the base and intermediate members and consisting ofrac'ks on the former engagedby gears on the latter and means for imparting rotary movement to the'gears, and -means for anchoring said standard or upright.

2. A device for the purpose described having an extensible standard or upright commeans for extending the intermediate and upper members relative respectively to the base"and-intermediate members and consisting of racks on the former engaged by gears onthe latter and means for imparting rotary movement to the gears, and means for anchoring said standard or upright, said base and intermediate members being hollow to form housings for said operating gears.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JACOB FRANZE'N.

Witnesses:

C. J. RiormrrsruoEn CLARA S roFrEL. 

